One Kiss in Tokyo... (20 page)

According to Peter, Emily had had a rough time of it lately but Joe knew how empowering these trips abroad could be. His time trekking in Nepal, island hopping in the Philippines and swimming on the Great Barrier Reef had kept him from focusing on all the negatives in his past. With any luck she'd return at the end of this mission equally as upbeat, not caring a jot about other people's perceptions of her.

Although how she could think she was anything other than stunning he didn't know. The second she'd stepped ashore he'd known he was in trouble.

His decision to volunteer as official island greeter had been born of curiosity. He'd seen the worn photographs of her and Peter as kids, the shy Emily always hiding behind her stepbrother, and he'd wondered about the woman she'd become. The doctor he was going to be working alongside for the foreseeable future.

In the four weeks he'd already spent in this island paradise she was the most beautiful sight he'd seen yet. With the golden waves of her hair shining in the sunlight, her turquoise eyes the colour of the water and her slender form draped in azure, she could've stepped out of a shampoo advert. It was too bad she was his mate's little sister and nursing a broken heart. Two things that immediately put her off limits. Even if hearing-impaired ex-army docs were her thing.

He'd let enough of his army buddies down without failing Peter too. Neither was he in the market for any sort of emotional entanglements. Emily was literally carrying more baggage than he was prepared to take on. He was more of a backpacking guy, travelling light with no intention of setting down roots. Although he helped out with these outreach programmes now and then when people were in dire need, he was better off on his own. It meant no long-term responsibility to anyone but himself.

The last time he'd been charged with the welfare of people close to him, it had cost two of his colleagues their lives. When the IED had knocked him to kingdom come he'd failed to be there for the men he'd had a duty of care for. Next to the young families left without fathers, his loss seemed insignificant. These days he preferred to keep his wits about him rather than become too complacent and safe in his surroundings.

‘Are we there yet?' Emily was smiling as she jogged to keep up with him.

At least when she was close he could hear her or interpret her facial expressions. He only had a six per cent loss of hearing but sometimes it meant he missed full conversations going on in the background. More often than not he chose to let people think he was an arrogant sod over revealing his weakness. He and Emily had their pride in common.

‘Very nearly. Now, there are a few protocols to be aware of before presenting the
yaqona
for the kava ceremony. You're dressed modestly enough so that shouldn't be a problem.' He took the opportunity for a more in-depth study of her form, though he wasn't likely to forget in a hurry how she looked today.

‘What's the kava ceremony?' She eyed him suspiciously, as if he might be luring her to the village as some sort of human sacrifice.

‘Basically, it's a welcoming ceremony with the most senior tribal members present. They grind the
yaqona
, or kava, and make it into a drink for you to take with them in a traditional ceremony. All visitors are invited to take part when they first arrive on the island.'

‘It's not one of those hallucinogenic substances you hear about, is it? I don't want to be seeing fairies dancing about all night in front of my eyes. I'm not even a big drinker because I don't enjoy that feeling of being out of control.' She was starting to get herself into a flap for no reason.

Joe hadn't even asked questions when he'd taken part in his first kava ceremony, he'd just gone with the flow. He embraced every new experience with gusto, whereas Emily seemed to fear it.

‘Don't worry. It's nothing sinister, although the taste leaves a lot to be desired. There shouldn't be any fairy visions keeping you awake. If anything, it's known to aid sleep, among other things.' He kept the claims of its aphrodisiac properties to himself rather than freak her out any further.

‘I don't think that's something I'm going to have a problem with tonight.' She set her case down and rubbed her palms on her dress before lifting it again. The heavy labour in less-than-ideal circumstances was something she was going to have to get used to and only time would tell if she was up to it.

He, on the other hand, had a feeling his peace of mind here had suddenly been thrown into chaos.

It was just as well he thrived on a challenge.

Copyright © 2016 by Karin Baine

ISBN-13: 9781488009921

One Kiss in Tokyo...

Copyright © 2016 by Scarlet Wilson

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